'Birth of a Nation' release unchanged despite rape controversy

The makers are moving forward with plans to release Nate Parker's historical drama "The Birth of a Nation" despite the resurfacing of a rape trail from the actor-director's past.
Fox Searchlight, which bought the project for a record-breaking USD 17.5 million at Sundance, said they are standing behind Parker as he was acquitted of the charges, reported the Entertainment Weekly.
The studio confirmed that the film about Nat Turner's 1831 slave rebellion is still scheduled to release in the US on October 7.
"Searchlight is aware of the incident that occurred while Nate Parker was at Penn State. We also know that he was found innocent and cleared of all charges. We stand behind Nate and are proud to help bring this important and powerful story to the screen," the studio said in a statement.

In 1999, Parker and college roommate Jean Celestin, who also co-wrote the film, were charged with raping a fellow student while she was unconscious after a night of drinking.
Parker was acquitted in court, while Celestin was convicted but appealed the verdict and was granted a new trial.

The case was never retried because the woman decided not to testify again. Variety reported Tuesday that the woman died by suicide in 2012.
The director addressed the incident again by posting a lengthy statement on Facebook, saying he just learnt about the death of the woman.
Bazmee revealed "Aankhen 2" will have elements of

thriller and humour.
It's the first time Anees is directing Bachchan in a film and he is quite elated about it. "It's my first film with him (Bachchan). I have always seen his films, admired his work I have been a fan of him. I am grateful to the team of "Aankhen 2" that I got the opportunity to direct him."
Echoing similar sentiments, Arshad, who made his acting debut with Bachchan's production house, said he is grateful and privileged to be sharing screen space with Big B.
The 73-year-old megastar said he will miss the original
cast of "Aankhen" but was excited to be working with the new team.

Arshad, who is a new entrant in "Aankhen 2", chose not to reveal details about his role. "Everyone is stealing money (referring to basic premise of the story)," he added.
Even Big B was also not willing to share details about his role in the sequel.
Producer Gaurang Doshi thanked Big B for coming on board for "Aankhen 2". "Without his (Bachchan) support I wouldn't have been able to make a comeback to films."
Anil Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Ileana were not present at the launch event today due to their prior commitments. A digital casino was put on stage to mark the launch of the sequel. Arshad danced on the title track of "Aankhen" and Bachchan, too, enacted a few scenes.